Shot Through The Heart: Jukebox
by Voglio Il Mio Pranzo
Summary: Mandark is a pain in the ass. There, I said it.
1. Chapter 1: Playlist A

/

Before I officially begin, I'd just like to say that this fan fiction is just an experiment. Since it's pretty much impossible to make any original characters in_ Fusion Fall_ that aren't a Mary or Gary Sue whilst incorporating as much as I can from the game into this, (I can walk around with angel wings AND not really die while doing missions for Dexter? Huzzah!), I'm going to turn the concept of a Mary Sue inside-out and shake it. Violently.

I do promise you, none of these are self-inserts by a long shot. There are also no poems or songs I didn't write myself in here. You're welcome.

I also hope to cater to everyone's whims: a love story, people harassing Ben, undoing Mary-Sues, touching on as many themes and tropes as I can and lastly delivering a story that is worthy of your eyes. You're taking the time out to read my work- I might as well make it interesting.

This is not a continuation of the original _SHOT THROUGH THE HEART_, which will not be finished. This version of the story is far better, I promise. Critique is **MOST WELCOMED**.

Special thanks to _my_ lab assistants in alphabetical order: Adam, Andrea, Brenda, Candice, Josh, Sara and Zay for helping keep me grounded and writing out this pathetic story with your wonderful and creative assistance!

Now without further ado.../

Mandark was quickly pacing back and forth in the main lobby of his laboratory, staring down at the floor with his hands in his shorts' pockets. "What to do, what to do..." He moaned, loosening his tie. He was nervous about his little sister Lalavava suddenly coming in from boarding school in England. "Why does she insist on doing this to me?" He asked himself out loud then groaned. He sat down on his red couch and looked around at his lobby.

Long, black metal walls with a shiny black tiled floor with red grouting made it feel more like a prison to everyone but Mandark. A large flat-screen TV was on the wall opposite the couch was showing a basic diagnostic of the laboratory – all was quiet and running smoothly. A notable quality of the lab is that it is always at an ambient fifty-six degrees Fahrenheit. Mandark preferred to keep the lab cooler for safety reasons. Several dozen Mandroids lined the right-hand wall and were idling in sleep-mode waiting for a command.

"Here," a soft and slightly English female voice said. "I've brought you some coffee in your favorite black mug." A young woman dressed in a black lab coat that flared out in a bell-shape at the ends walked in with fresh, hot coffee. She had almond-shaped dark gray eyes, her left eye hidden by her bangs. On her round cheeks were little brown freckles that magnified her childish looks. She was short and slim, only about five feet tall and wearing thick white stockings, a v-style pleated blood-red miniskirt and shiny black knee-high heeled boots. Her lab coat was black and long-sleeved with red piping and a fancy red "M" over the heart. This was his assistant Susan Silverbullet. A half-Chinese and half-English girl. She was not particularly bright when it comes to science or math, but Mandark keeps her around to care for the lab animals, work as a secretary and make him fresh coffee and snacks whenever he wanted them. She always made his coffee's flavor _just right_, although sometimes she'd make the drink too hot.

She started working for him when the war began three years ago and he needed extra assistance. Originally he hired seven people including Susan. However, all of them but her quit within a month. They couldn't handle Mandark's constant complaining and insults. Susan was well-experienced with dealing with villains and other nasty people, so she just shrugged the insults off her little shoulders. Eventually the insults stopped after a few months when he ran out of new things to magnify about her and eventually grew comfortable with having her around.

He doesn't like that they share the same first name; so instead of calling her 'Susan' he refers to her as Jerry- which is her middle name.

Mandark took the coffee mug and held it in his hands, enjoying the warmth before sipping it. The mug felt cooler than the actual drink and it caught him by surprise when he sipped the coffee. He shuddered when he felt the hot liquid splash down his throat. He could feel it move all the way into his stomach and it felt like it burned his heart on the way down.

"You made it too hot!" he complained. "Now I'm going to have a sore throat. How am I supposed to yell at my sister now?" His expression softened after a moment, "...never mind." He went back to slowly sipping his coffee. "Apparently nothing will take away my beloved shrieking voice."

"I'm sorry..." Susan said trying not to chuckle. "When should I pick up Lalavava from the airport?"

Mandark looked up at the TV to find out what time it was. "You should leave in an hour or so. If you're late I don't really care. I don't wan't Lalavava here."

"I can put her up in a hotel." Susan suggested.

"That is not a bad idea. It also means she won't meet her half-brother Sugar." Mandark scratched his chin in thought.

"She doesn't know about him?" Susan asked as she sat down on the far end of the couch from Mandark.

"No," Mandark said, "She would have a heart attack and proceed to annoy me for the rest of my life about it."

"Did someone call my name?" A cheery voice from behind the door called. A young man the same height as Mandark walked through the same door Susan came through earlier. His long, shiny pink hair was tied back in a low ponytail with a red bow. His pale skin was a little splotchy with track marks on the upper arms and his dark eyes were lightly sunken in with chronic tiredness. He was slim like his half-brother and usually wore a white blouse with a green sweater vest over loose-fitting blue jeans. Sugar always walked around the lab in fuzzy bunny slippers in the same shade of pink as his hair. He had frame-less glasses which made his dark eyes seem bigger and shinier.

"Hey," Susan called to him.

"Hi, Sookie!" Sugar said, flopping down on the couch next to her. "What are you guys talking about?" He crossed his legs and wiggled his foot.

Mandark shifted is position and took his glasses off, wiping them with the corner of his shorts. "Your baby sister." He said coldly.

Sugar sat up with a start, "I have a baby sister?" He was wide-eyed and excited.

"Calm yourself down," Mandark said feeling even more annoyed now, "Jerry is going to pick her up at the airport in an hour and drop her off at a hotel. She has no idea you exist, either. She is annoying, spoiled, destructive and a tyrant."

"So...she's exactly like you?" Sugar said coyly.

"Yes! Only smaller." Mandark nodded. Sugar tried to contain his laughter but ultimately failed. Susan cracked a smile but didn't dare chuckle or giggle.

"You know what? I'm going to come back with fresh donuts for you two when I get back from the airport. Right now I need to call up a hotel and make a reservation for your sister."

"Good. Go get that done now." Mandark put his glasses on his face and went through the door to the bowels of his lab to finish up his work.

"He's upset because of the sick nanos." Susan said, turning to Sugar. "It makes him sad to see them there crying asking for their humans and coughing and whatever." She stood up and fixed her skirt which had gotten caught on her stockings.

"Aw," Sugar said with a frown on his face, "that makes sense. I'll brew him up some tea it might make him feel better. If you come with me I'll let you use my laptop to book a hotel for Lalavava. How long is she staying?"

Susan shrugged, "I'll book her for three weeks and see where they go from there. Her fall break can't be that much longer. I'll pick a nicer hotel; one equipped for extended stays. You know, the ones with fridges and little kitchens?"

Sugar led her down the hallway to the kitchen which was 'decorated' in the same demonic theme as the rest of everything Mandark owned. It wasn't very fancy, just large. Sugar opened his sparkly pink laptop on the counter and handed it to Susan, going over the few hotels he knew of that fit what she was looking for.

Sugar prepared some little sandwiches on a metal plate for the three of them while the water boiled in a black kettle on the electrical stove. Susan scrolled through the many websites and booked a reservation at a hotel far from the laboratory but close to the airport. Susan checked the time and weather in the corner of the computer task bar and sighed. She was not looking forward to driving through snow for half an hour.

"What's wrong?" Sugar asked sweetly when Susan sighed.

"It's snowing outside right now and I'll have to drive through it. I should leave now then to go get Lalavava." She shut the laptop gently and left the kitchen, sadly waving goodbye to Sugar. Susan left the lab after putting on her fuzzy snow boots, her wool coat and took out her Dexter, Demongo and Mandark nanos. They were entitled with rocket, revive and stun, respectively.

Sugar wrapped up the sandwich he made for her and put it in the refrigerator, then went to bring the snacks to Mandark who was still moping by the nanos.

Wearing plain latex gloves and a white surgical mask, Mandark was in his nano surgery room which was fairly small and very well-lit with a nanostation in the corner. He had several large syringes filled with a pulsing blue liquid laid out in a neat line. He injected each nano with one whole syringe full of the blue stuff while holding them down with his other hand.

They wiggled, screamed, bit him and cried when initially injected but calmed down after the medicine started to take effect.

"Bite me again and I will stick you in liquid nitrogen." Mandark threatened the nanos. He almost instantly felt bad after wards when they started to blubber. He sighed and put them into their cushioned cardboard box after muttering apologizes to them and throwing away the used gloves and syringes into a medical waste bin. He took the box with him to the lobby and set it on the coffee table after he flopped onto the couch. He was getting ready to call their owners for pickup when Sugar came out with tea for the both of them and sat across from Mandark.

"So are you going to tell her?" Sugar asked, sipping his hot green tea.

"'her' who?" Mandark asked.

"Susan, your little assistant." Sugar said gleefully.

"I keep telling you to call her 'Jerry'. What am I supposed to tell her?" Mandark asked, holding his tea.

"That you _like _her." Sugar smiled behind his cup.

Mandark rolled his eyes and sipped his tea slowly so he didn't get burned again.

"It's nothing worth noting. She's boring, annoying and short. I just feel lonely because Dee Dee keeps rejecting me." He had a sour look on his face. "I don't like my assistant like that."

"Well then; if you won't take the bait _I'll_ go after her." Sugar smirked.

"Hey!" Mandark got defensive, "She's _my_ employee! I won't have any mingling in my lab! Besides I thought you were seeing someone." Mandark nearly spilled his tea. He set the cup down on the table to prevent any injuries. The nanos in the box looked back and forth at Mandark and Sugar whenever the other spoke.

Sugar giggled from behind his cup. "Don't hurt me, I was only joking. I have no romantic interest in her. I'm not seeing anyone right now."

"Good." Mandark said. "A relationship like that in here would be awkward."

Sugar blushed slightly, "But you have no problem with me dating men."

"Why would I?" Mandark raised an eyebrow. "I just don't want inter-office relationships in my lab. It's in her contract."

"You actually put that in her contract?" Sugar chuckled. "You covered everything."

"Of course!" Mandark beamed, "I'm a genius, after all." He sipped his tea and thought for a moment. "That reminds me...I implanted that birth control rod into her arm three years ago next month. I'll have to replace it."

"Why is she on BC again?"

"It's illegal to have pregnant women in a laboratory. This is why I wanted to hire men. Women are way too much trouble."

"It's not like she's sleeping around."

"Rapes don't happen?"

"Good point. Not that she'd let anyone do that."

"Well, no of course not. It's just to make things easier. That reminds me, I need to make her buy a pack of those Dexlabs condoms he recently released for sale."

Sugar nearly choked in his drink. "Why?"

"We need to find the weakness! Exploit it! Ruin his business!" Mandark had a fist in the air.

"You're going to make her buy Dexter's condoms just so you can ruin his company? Why can't you just order a box online or buy them yourself?" Sugar suggested.

"Because, she is my assistant and that is how she will be assisting me. Besides, it will make me look bad if I buy a box myself." Mandark lowered his arm and sat back, crossing his legs.

"Right. You're just chicken." Sugar teased.

Mandark's face turned red, "I am not a chicken!" He defended.

"You're a chicken. Bok bok!" Sugar flapped his free arm and giggled.

"I am not chicken...I'm shy." Mandark corrected his brother, admitting defeat. "It's...embarrassing."

"See? You are chicken. Listen, I can buy them if you want. I have no shame. It's what big brothers do for little brothers anyway, right?"

"Alright, if you want to buy the condoms go for it." Mandark surrendered, clearly annoyed.

"So you're not having her buy condoms for you because you want to make love to her?"

"You 'make love' to someone you love, it's 'having sex' with someone you don't particularly care for like that." Mandark corrected Sugar on the subtle definitions of the terms.

"Right. So you've _never_ thought about it?" Sugar giggled.

"I won't lie," he bit his lip nervously, "I've been tempted." He looked to the side. Mandark appreciated having an experienced older brother to talk about this stuff with, but it was still awkward and embarrassing for him.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"What, she threw herself at you?" Sugar raised his eyebrow.

"No, but I've been tempted to ask her for...sex." It seemed like he had trouble pronouncing the last word in that sentence.

"But not a relationship?"

"I'm not looking for a relationship with anyone but Dee Dee. Sometimes I get so worked up I feel like I'm going to die if I don't get release. The robots don't cut it anymore. I want to feel a human's skin, not synthetic skin. The unpredictability of human desires...a heartbeat! I'm also a little paranoid of being _crushed_..." Not by their weight, but by their 'spasm' function.

"Sex with a real person _is_ much nicer..." He paused, "why haven't you asked her?"

"Well first of all, I love Dee Dee and I'm saving myself for her. Second of all, Sookie almost always has a gun on her...and she might sue me for sexual harassment. I don't want to risk getting my head blown off."

Sugar thought it was odd Mandark called Susan 'Sookie' instead of 'Jerry.' It wasn't often he interchanged the nicknames. Maybe he felt more comfortable using a female name instead of a male one in this context.

"I don't think she'd sue you. I have a feeling she likes you back."

"Eh..."

"What?"

"I told you I'm not interested in her for a relationship. It's just...sometimes that miniskirt gets me. I should have given her pants for her uniform. Why can't she be taller? How do you know she likes me?"

"Are you kidding?" Sugar brushed his hair behind his ears. "The way she looks at you? Puts up with you? Hey, I love you very much, little brother, but sometimes you_ really_ annoy people. The fact that she still sticks around doing mostly _maid work_ when she's not risking her life doing missions for you should be a sort of red flag that she at least likes you. I know you have a massive fan club online, but jeez. Your biggest little fan works for ya. Do you fantasize about her?"

"I'd rather keep that to myself."

"You totally fantasize about her."

Mandark's cheeks got flushed even redder, "Okay, sometimes. When I feel particularly amorous I do. I try not to defile Dee Dee's sweet, innocent image with those things."

"What do you fantasize about?"

Mandark shifted uncomfortably. "I don't want to talk about this in front of the nanos." He made up an excuse.

"Nanos don't remember things themselves, you know that. If their user isn't here they won't know or remember anything you say."

"Still."

Sugar picked up his cup and stood, "alright...do you want to talk about it at all?"

"It might make me feel better if I did...it'd at least make it seem ridiculous and I wouldn't fantasize about it again." It really did bother him to fantasize about other women. Somewhere deep down inside he thought of it as cheating. On the other hand, he understood they were just fantasies unless he acted upon them, so he didn't feel so guilty.

"Then come on, we'll talk about it in your room or something." Sugar motioned for Mandark to follow him. "I'll be right there," he said, "first I have to call the nano's users to pick them up."

Sugar was beside himself with glee. The idea of Mandark having a "small, somewhat insignificant" crush on Susan and having her buy condoms for him was ludicrous. He often questioned why Mandark never made a move on Susan. Clearly Mandark at least liked her as a friend since she hasn't been fired yet despite her few blunders in the laboratory.

While Sugar was waiting outside of his room, Mandark called up the owners of the nanos to let them know they were ready for pickup in the nano machines. After loading the nanos in the correct user box, which was nothing more than a digital space on Mandark and Dexter's shared servers hosted by a neutral third party, he walked to his room with his now-cold mug of half-sipped tea.

"Are you going to tell me all of them or just one?" Sugar asked.

"Of what?" Mandark briefly forgot what the earlier conversation was.

"Your sexual fantasies of Susan."

"_Jerry._ And Oh...yeah." Mandark opened his bedroom door by just lightly dragging his fingertips across the metal which sensed his heat and the door slid into the wall. When the two passed through the doorway the door slid shut with a whirring sound.

Surprisingly, his room was rather plain. Unlike the other rooms, his sizeable bedroom actually had one wall which was all windows with the heavy black curtains drawn shut. His king size bed had tall, black bedposts and a black canopy but no curtains. His bed was neatly made with a thick, red comforter covering his many fluffy pillows. There was a large flat-screen TV mounted on the wall across from the bed that wasn't blocked by the canopy. Under the TV was a black wood dresser which had some books and a tank with a tarantula in it. Specifically, it was Charlie, a female Mexican red knee tarantula. She was large but shy, hiding in her pot in the dirt. On the far wall to the right of the bed was a door, which led to Mandark's bathroom. Next to the door was a book shelf absolutely stuffed with books of varying ages, some obviously very ancient. The floor was a blood red carpet, which was heated and very soft. To the left of the bed was a small nightstand with even more books on it and a fashionable lava lamp in red and black. Next to that was a tall standing mirror with a black frame.

Mandark flopped back on his cushy bed, stretching out before rolling over. Sugar sat up on an empty spot of the dresser next to the large tank housing the tarantula.

"So, your fantasies." Sugar verbally nudged Mandark.

"Are you going to tell her or make fun of me?"

"Of course not! For either."

"Fine. My most prominent fantasy is bending her over my desk and just taking her with her uniform still on. She's face-down so I don't have to look at her or kiss her. Of course, she enjoys it. Afterward, she goes right back to work like nothing happened and doesn't bother me." He blurted it out.

"Oh." Sugar said, "that's pretty average."

"What were you expecting?"

"Something funny, actually."

Mandark scowled, "Why, so you can make fun of me?"

"No, you're usually more..._creative."_

"Well, I have one other fantasy."

"Uh huh?" Sugar leaned forward.

"It'd be really sexy to do her by the laboratory pool. I have no idea how she looks in that bathing suit we have for her but it'd probably be okay. There's also her doctor exams...the couch...the car..." He trailed off listing random places.

"I didn't realize you were so horny."

"That's just it...I'm not. I'm pretty sexually conservative."

"So then what's with all the places you're listing off?"

"Just thinking of places it'd be kind of cool to do it."

"But you said you were conservative."

"I don't get amorous often. I'll admit it's weird. I'm usually too busy to even notice when I'm hungry. I am _always_ working. I did a study, though. It's when I'm at the peak of my stress levels that I feel like I _need_ to have sex or I'm going to go mad."

"And using the robots isn't enough anymore."

"Precisely."

"Well, I think your assistant wouldn't mind making love to you if you feel you really need it. Though, I'm pretty damned sure she doesn't want to be _used. _You'd probably also feel regret or unimpressed. Please believe me when I tell you sex with love involved feels much better than sex for the sake of it. _Especially_ if it's going to be your very first time. Given how emotional you are, it'd be a recipe for disaster."

Mandark thought for a moment. He really didn't want to give up on Dee Dee, but he felt like it wasn't going anywhere. He was getting restless, sexually and emotionally. After over ten years of chasing a dream, he was waking up to the reality. He didn't feel very emotionally attached to Susan at all. He never paid much attention to her unless she was sick or hurt.

"I'm not a virgin." Mandark said quietly.

"When did this happen?" Sugar raised an eyebrow.

"The robots."

"That doesn't count, it only counts with a sentient being."

"The robots count to me."

"Okay...does that make you feel guilty about the Dee Dee thing?"

"Not really. It was a robot."

"You're saving yourself for Dee Dee..._however_ you don't consider yourself a virgin because you've 'done it' with a robot yet you don't feel guilty but you'd feel guilty for having no-strings-attached sex with your assistant?"

"Yeah."

"I don't understand this train of logic."

"Never mind. I just don't want to admit to being a twenty-two year old virgin."

"So?"

"_So?_ Dexter has a hot girlfriend he's been having sex with for like, two years now! _And he's four years younger than me._"

"And the difference that makes?"

"He's my enemy! I'm supposed to do everything first and _better than him_."

Sugar frowned. It hurt him knowing his brother was suffering in a turmoil that was totally unnecessary.

"What'll make you feel better?"

"I really don't know."

"Maybe you need to get over Dee Dee. Maybe try to date another person?"

"I don't want to give up on Dee Dee just yet. I'll try one more time. Just...one more time."

"You've said that forever."

"I know but I mean it this time."

"Good luck." Sugar smiled reassuringly at his brother. False hope was better than no hope to him.

Susan was already halfway to the airport in one of Mandark's street cars. A sexy black sports car that was low to the ground and beautifully detailed with red accents. The windows were completely blacked out from the outside in a way that didn't impede the ability to see from inside. Beautiful leather seats with red piping and of course a red steering wheel with the pointy red "M" in the center on the horn.

Meanwhile at Dexlabs Dexter was busy with his girlfriend Alse. She's a tall, stacked and very strong half-demon all-German woman with all the grace of an ox and the strength of a lumberjack. Quite frankly, everyone was scared of Alse's wrath.

Her spiky white hair and blue eyes seemed to only emphasize her brute strength, rather than softening it with feminine charms. Being half-demon wasn't totally unheard of, however it was still unusual but not necessarily looked down upon. Unfortunately, mixed-race beings still often suffered some form of prejudice.

Alse was a great deal taller than Dexter. At his tallest, he barely reached her shoulder and would stand on a stool or a box to be eye-level with her. This didn't stop them from frequently making love, even if some of the positions were awkward.

Susan called up Alse on her hands-free at one of the worst times. Alse was making love to Dexter in his bedroom which was mostly white with blue details, surrounded by computers and flat screens displaying miscellaneous information. Alse heard her phone ring and turned to her pile of neatly folded clothes on the bed.

"Don't get it." Dexter said, taking off his glasses and setting them on the nearby nightstand.

"What if one of my friends is dead again?" Alse didn't stop moving her hips, her large breasts moving with the same rhythm.

"I...but...we're busy." Dexter moaned, holding onto her hips. She always preferred to be on top. Alse rolled her eyes and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" She scratched her head with her free hand.

"Hey...it's Suzie." Susan said. "I'm on my way to the airport to pick up Mandark's little sister. I forgot to ask you earlier if you were still doing the food drive tomorrow."

"Of course I am." She looked at Dexter who had an expression of annoyance on his flushed cheeks.

"Are you busy?"

"Not really."

"What's that 'oh oh'-ing I hear in the background?"

"That's just Dexter."

"She can hear me?" Dexter cried.

"Now she can." Alse said. "I think I should go." She said into the phone.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to call you at a bad time. What are you doing anyway?"

"Eh, we're just having sex." She said bluntly. Almost innocently.

Dexter sighed with embarrassment. Susan blushed and paid closer attention to the road.

"You're going to make me crash the car! Call me when you're done so I can plan the drive thing tomorrow." Susan said, hanging up. Alse tossed her phone back into the pile and went back to what she was doing.

"Why do you do that?" Dexter asked her quietly.

"Do what?"

"_That._ Answering _too_ honestly?"

"Lying is stupid. Besides, she's my best friend. Any chance I can get to tease her is a chance I'll take. Don't worry about it; everyone already _knows_ we're an 'active' couple. You know I would've not said anything if it was anyone else."

Dexter furrowed his eyebrows and frowned a bit at her, but softened his expression after a moment because of the release of his orgasm. He sighed softly and sat up when Alse got off of him and sat on the edge of the bed pulling her blue t-shirt on.

"You're quiet." He said.

"I know."

"Are you sure you enjoy it?"

"Of course. If I didn't I wouldn't do it. That's my policy for everything, honey." Alse smiled at him, her cheeks slightly pink. Her smiles were not common so he relished it while he could.

"Do you ….orgasm too?" He sheepishly asked her while he carefully removed the condom and threw it away in a white trash basket next to the nightstand after wrapping it in a tissue.

"You ask me this _every time._" Alse sighed. "Yes and no. Not every time." She rolled her eyes. "Enough with the inferiority nonsense."

Dexter pulled on his black slacks and his black turtleneck but left off his belt, socks and glasses. "Sorry." He said. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"You didn't upset me. Stop apologizing, thank you." Alse brushed her bangs out of her eyes and pulled on fresh underwear. "Jeez, you're acting like you did the first time two years ago. I'm wondering when you're going to grow out of it."

Dexter felt worse for bringing it up now. He didn't like to bring negative things up with her because he never wanted to upset her or start fights. He loved her too much to ever want to do that intentionally. He had difficulty understanding the things she does or doesn't say and do because she's so secretive about how she feels and thinks. She was a great deal more open with him than anyone else about her personal feelings- but it wasn't enough for Dexter.

"I love you..." He said after a moment. He tried to tell her he loved her as many times a day as he could.

"I know. I love you, too." She turned to him, keeping a blank expression on her face. Dexter frowned and laid back, resting his head on his white pillow.

"Are you okay?" Alse asked him.

"I'm okay...I worry if _you're_ okay. Are you okay?"

"Of course."

"I wish you'd be more open and communicative with me." He said.

"I'm sorry. This is just how I am. You know I'm more open with you than with other people."

"I don't understand how you can be blunt on the phone about having sex with me but when it comes to your actual emotions...you just bottle them up or stifle them. Why do you do that? Please tell me." He gently begged her.

Alse shut her eyes and thought for a moment. "Emotions will hurt you. They cloud your mind and make you crazy. I used to be an emotional wreck in high school but then the war happened...and we all had to grow up faster than we deserved. To keep myself from going insane I keep my emotions under wraps. When I'm out there fighting aliens and monsters and watching my friends and innocent people get torn to bits I have to pay attention to what's going on to protect myself."

She sighed and curled up next to him, taking Dexter into her arms and snuggling him close. Her bright blue eyes seemed dimmer now.

Dexter listened to her intently while she poured her heart out to him. Every passing sentence made him feel more and more guilty for everything he couldn't predict or control when Fuse and his minions first arrived. How much damage has been _really_ been done and can it be fixed? How much was he, Mandark and Mojo Jojo at fault? The governments of the world? What else is coming that they're too blind to notice? How many people are hurt because of their apparent negligence? Was he working hard enough? He could tell she was sadder than she appeared.

"You keep me stable." She said after a long pause. "I'm happy to help you and to be proactive in this war. I'm proud of you and all that you've done. You make me feel normal." She tried to say everything she was feeling in a logical and emotionless way.

"Dexter, you are one of the few people who aren't afraid of me because of my size or race. That means a lot to me. You took your _gloves_ off for me."

Dexter smiled and wiped a tear from his eye with the back of his hand. "I'm...sorry."

"For what?" She lightly stroked his cheek.

"Everything." He said. "Just...everything."

Alse leaned in and gently kissed his forehead. "Don't be; and don't cry, either. That's girly."

Dexter chuckled, "I can't help it, I feel horrible."

"Don't feel horrible. This is a terrible way to end great sex." She said bluntly. Dexter laughed a bit, blushing.

"How did we end up together?" He smiled.

"Long story short, I eventually moved into the lab because I volunteered to help you all the time. Then things happened and now we're here."

"It was rhetorical, but okay." He chuckled.

A few minutes of peaceful silence passed before Alse spoke again.

"I'm worried about Susan."

"Why?"

"It's been three years she's been working in the lab. I'm afraid she's finally going to get hurt one of these days."

"She hasn't gotten injured yet?"

"Nope."

"Huh. How about that. I'm sure she'll be okay."

"I'm also worried about her emotionally."

"Ugh, don't tell me she still has feelings for Mandark."

Alse nodded and sighed. "Yeah."

"But why _him_?"

"I don't know. She sees something in him no one else on the planet does."

"What does she see?"

"I don't know. _She_ doesn't know. She'll just whine that she has strong feelings for him but won't say anything to him. I hate people like that. Complains and whines but won't do anything about it."

"She's better off. He's an idiot and he's abusive."

"Abusive?"

"He's mean. I can't imagine how he'd treat Dee Dee or any other person he dates."

"He seems gentle enough when it comes to Dee Dee, but he _is_ rougher with Susan. Some of the missions he gives her makes me think he wants to get rid of her without doing it himself."

"Whatever you do, don't let her end up with him." Dexter warned. "For her sake."

"She's smarter than that." Alse nodded, "But sure, I guess I'll deter her."

They drifted off to sleep together, warm and comfortable in their embraces, completely forgetting the work they promised they'd do.

Meanwhile, Susan was at the airport waiting for Lalavava, her nanos sitting on her shoulders. The airport had an absurd amount of security for so very few customers. People used warping as common travel for short distances, but trans-continental transport required using a plane or an airship. She nervously stood by the only gate that had passengers coming from England. Tapping her foot, she was angry at herself for being so stupid as to not write a sign with Lalavava's name on it. The airport was cold and very empty, with less than fifty people getting off of the plane. Among the first was Lalavava herself with a little red purse and a pink laptop bag as her only luggage.

Susan immediately recognized her from Mandark's description. Long black pigtails, straight cut bangs and she was a short Asian girl the same height and build as Susan. Dressed in a pink miniskirt with black and white striped stockings, a black wool coat and black boots Lalavava resembled a sort of pint-sized punk Dee Dee. Much like her brothers they all had black irises.

"Miss Astronomonov?" Susan politely called to her from near the boarding exit. Lalavava turned when she heard her name and walked over to Susan and looked her over.

"Honestly? I was expecting a robot." She said in a somewhat nasally voice. "So you are patient enough to work for him. How long has it been?"

"Three years."

"Well, damn." She said with disbelief, but Susan couldn't tell if it was sarcastic or not. "You should be canonized. Now, where am I going from here?"

"Well if you have checked luggage I can get it for you."

"I didn't bring any. I have my brother's family credit card in my little purse right here. I intend on returning to England with all new clothes." She said with a snooty tone. "Let's go, I'm eager to see the lab." She started leading the way.

Susan thought Mandark was exaggerating about Lalavava's personality. She seemed bossy but not like a tyrant or a brat at all. She just knew she was in charge and how to throw her tiny self around.

Susan followed after, making sure to stay two steps behind Lalavava the entire way. Susan's nanos silently floated behind her.

"Um, actually...Mandark is having you stay and an upscale hotel."

Lalavava turned around and glared at Susan. "Why?"

"Well," Susan stammered, "It's _not_ that he doesn't want to see you. The lab is...under construction! It's been really dusty and noisy in there as of late. He doesn't want you to see his lab if it's in a shambles." She patted herself on the back for coming up with such a great fib.

"That's a lie," Lalavava saw right through it. "What's your name?"

"Susan Silverbullet, miss."

Lalavava started to walk towards the main exit again. "Where is the car?"

"It's in the parking lot outside. I'll bring it up to the door so you don't have to wait in the cold. I will be right back." Susan left to get the car and drove up to the door, got out and held the car door open for Lalavava. Susans nanos were snugly buckled into the front passenger seat. Lalavava got into the car's back seat and bucked up, then took out her cell phone from her tiny purse. She dialed Mandark who was in the bathtub enjoying a nice soak in hot water.

His bathroom was spacious with a black tub large enough to fit four people in, which doubled as a jacuzzi. He had a shower in the corner and the floor and walls were all black marble with beautiful veins of white that curved like mathematical parabolas in every square. The room was windowless but very well-lit all the same with good lighting that gave the room a soft glow. There were two large potted plants next to the doorway in red porcelain vases about Susan's height in size, thick green leaves and tall, rigid stems proved this plant was alive and enjoying it's home. The toilet was on the other side; a pristine, white toilet with a red M etched on the lid and a shiny chrome handle. A red roll of toilet paper was mounted to the wall next to the toilet with a matching chrome holder. Finally, a towel rack with big and fuzzy red, white and black towels all monogrammed with Mandark's classic 'M' were neatly folded. In short: his bathroom would make the Toiletnator proud.

He was so relaxed he picked up the phone without looking at who was calling.

"Yes?"

"Man_dork_, why am I being shuttled to a hotel instead of the lab by your girlfriend?"

"I don't have a girlfriend yet!" Mandark yelled. He became aggravated the millisecond he heard her voice. "She's not my girlfriend; she's my _assistant!"_

"Does she assist you in getting laid?"

"_OLGA_." Mandark yelled. "You've been studying at the university for four years now! Why the hell do you choose _now_ to come back to the US on a break?"

"Because I missed it. Seriously, why aren't I allowed into your lab?" She snorted, "And my name is _Lalavava!_"

Susan was driving to the hotel, trying not to listen into the conversation.

"I don't want you bothering me!" Mandark said. "Plus I'm working on a few things and I can't afford to have you in the lab right now. I have no room for you."

"So are you shagging your little assistant?"

"No, I'm not." Mandark blushed, feeling the anger well up in his throat.

"You really should," Lalavava suggested, "you're getting kind of old to be a vi-"

Mandark hung up on her and threw his phone across the room. It shattered into pieces when it hit the wall.

"Fuck." He said. He rarely cursed. "Fucking bitch." A twofer!

He sighed angrily, sinking into the hot water up to his nose and shut his eyes. 'I hate that little demon,' he thought.

Lalavava stared at her phone for a minute and calmly shut it. "He hung up on me." She shrugged. "Eh, I'll always know how to harass my big brother. So, Ms. Silverbullet, has he shagged you?"

"Um...no." She answered, trying not to get angry or embarrassed so she could pay attention to the road.

"Funny that you have an English accent, I didn't know he was into girls like that."

"He's not. I just happen to talk this way."

"He's pathetic, isn't he?" Lalavava took out a tiny compact from her purse and lightly put on another layer of makeup. "He's going to die a virgin." She checked her makeup and smiled at her reflection.

"He's waiting for Dee Dee." Susan said defensively.

"Like I said, he's going to die a virgin." Lalavava snarked.

Susan was getting angry now, tightly gripping the steering wheel.

"Upset?" Lalavava looked into the rear-view mirror at Susan's furrowed eyebrows.

"This snow is difficult." Susan said.

"It's not the snow." Lalavava smirked. "So you've worked for him for three years- same uniform?"

"Yes."

"So you've worked for him for three years in that little getup and he's never _once _made a move? That miniskirt is _mini._"

"There's no move to make; he's in love with Dee Dee."

"Oh, please. He needs to realize that she has no interest in growing up; let alone an intimate relationship! I went to dance school with that girl for ten years, I think I'd know a thing or two about her. She's a stupid airhead."

Susan shrugged, she at least agreed with Lalavava on that.

"So how do you feel about my brother?" Lalavava asked, putting her compact away.

"He's brilliant and brooding. That's all to feel." Susan felt her cheeks get redder.

"Oh God, don't tell me you actually have _feelings_ for him." She smiled wide.

"It's...none of your business." Susan sheepishly told her off.

"Oh, come on. You can trust _me_." Lalavava gave her evilest smile.

"We're here." Susan sighed, pulling up to a fancy hotel. "Your room is reserved under your name." She was happy to change the subject.

Susan got out and opened the door for her annoying little passenger. Lalavava got out and fixed her skirt. When Susan shut the door Lalavava forcibly turned her around and slapped Susan's cheek hard enough that it left a red welt shaped like Lalavava's hand. Susan stood there stunned for a moment, not immediately understanding what just happened. After a few seconds Susan felt the sting on her cheek. She stared wide-eyed at Lalavava until she spoke.

"What..." Susan started to say.

"'What was that for?'" Lalavava finished for her. "_That_ was for not answering my question and telling me it was none of my business. If you work for _Susan_ you work for _me_, too. Damn weird he hired a girl with the same first name as he has." Lalavava left Susan standing there, walking into the hotel.

After a moment, Susan began to feel the cold air biting her skin and went back into the car and sighed for a moment before driving back to the lab. She didn't know if she should cry or scream so instead she did nothing.

"Are you okay?" The little Dexter nano asked, putting his tiny hand on her thigh. Susan lightly pet his head.

"Yes, I'm okay, baby." She said to her nanos who held her hand for a moment. She took it back so she could drive safely. When she got to the lab, Mandark was standing by the door waiting for her in the lobby. Mandark was wearing his black flannel pajamas and fuzzy red slippers.

"She's in the hotel." Susan said, holding her nanos to her chest after she hung up her coat and took off her boots.

"What happened to you?" Mandark asked, seeing the hand print on her cheek.

"She asked a question I didn't want to answer so she slapped me."

"Do you see why I didn't want her in here? She's gotten worse since she went abroad to study." Mandark felt turmoil. He wasn't sure why, but seeing Susan with a red hand print on her cheek made him feel awful. Was it guilt?

"Did you hit her back?" he asked, somewhat hopeful.

"Of course not. I think I was very polite to her, too. I didn't say anything and let her walk away."

"Good. I didn't think you'd hit her I was just curious. What'd she ask?" Mandark said, turning Susan's head so he could see the injury a little better.

"How I felt about you." Susan looked off to the side.

"I didn't know she'd hit you. She's...a bitch." He said. "Do you want me to heal you?"

"Yes, please."

Mandark concentrated for a moment, then lightly ran his hand across Susan's cheek, using magic to heal her. The injury almost instantly healed and the throbbing pain went away. Mandark was a warlock, specifically a wind-type healer. The only handicap he had was he could not heal himself with magic as it would make him immortal. When it comes to the gifted, the universe balances everyone out.

"Better?"

"Yes, thank you." Susan blushed. "I'm sorry about what she said in the car."

"It's fine, I've dealt with her torture for eighteen years." He paused for a moment. "How _do_ you feel about me?"

Susan sighed. "I feel that you're a genius and you do a lot for the general public. You're often mistreated and you treat me very well, all things considered."

"Why couldn't you answer with that?"

Susan swallowed, "because."

"You and I both know that's not the actual answer, though."

"I know."

"So what _is_ the real answer?"

She wasn't pleased with him pressing her. "Do you really want the truth?"

Mandark nodded, his hands on her shoulders, his big hands dwarfed her even more. It's not often he touched her but when he did it was a show of dominance.

She shut her eyes tightly, inhaled deeply and sighed softly.

"I have had strong romantic feelings for you for the last two years. It's slowly killing me inside that you still chase after Dee Dee. Every time you ask me to deliver a gift from you to her it hurts a little more. I want you to be happy no matter what, so I'm okay with hanging out here and taking care of you." She was surprised how easily that spilled out. She felt relieved.

Mandark wasn't sure how to feel. Maybe his fleeting crush on her was not so fleeting after all. He let her go and crossed his arms. He wondered if she was staging this for a raise, but she's never been dishonest with him before.

"Are you going to fire me?"

"What? No."

"...can I go now?"

"No. I'm trying to think of what to say. Sit down." He motioned to the couch. Susan obediently moved to the couch and held her nanos tightly. They looked at Mandark with their large, innocent eyes. The nanos quietly displayed Susan's varying emotions she was feeling all at once: nervousness, eagerness and sadness.

Mandark sat across from her, his legs crossed and his hands resting in his lap.

Susan nervously looked at him.

"So, if it hurts you so much why didn't you say something?"

"About what?"

"Delivering the gifts for Dee Dee."

"Oh. Well...I want to be a good servant."

"You're _not_ my servant. You're my _employee._" He hated it when she called him 'master' or referred to herself as a servant. He felt that it would appear odd to the media and he would be investigated. He didn't want anyone to stick their uninvited noses where it didn't belong.

"I'm sorry, 'employee'." She corrected herself.

"Well, don't worry. I won't ask you to do that anymore. See, I'm going to do it myself from now on. I think she would rather I be more forward."

"Okay."

"That's it?"

"What?"

"You don't want to fight for me?"

"There's no point in fighting for you. You're in love with another woman."

"Smart girl."

"I can't be the only girl who feels this way about you."

"No. I have a few fan clubs. So...why _do_ you feel this way?" He smirked.

She shrugged. "I just do. You're handsome, you're brilliant and you take really good care of me _and _Sugar. I admire anyone who is willing to take a sibling off the street and get them sober."

Mandark was almost...moved. He's been flattered before but never like this. He decided her feelings were genuine and she wasn't making it up for a raise.

"C-can I go now?" She asked, her face red.

"Oh? Oh, sure." He motioned for her to go away.

"Oh, before I go...why were you waiting for me?"

"You promised donuts. Sugar already went to bed but I _really_ wanted a donut."

"I'm sorry...I forgot."

"You do that a lot." Susan suffered the occasional hole in her short-term memory due to a botched KND decommissioning when she was thirteen. It often got in the way when she didn't write down things she had to do. Mandark often promised he'd look at her brain 'tomorrow', but he's been putting the study off for years.

Susan got up and went for the door to go to the guest room in the other wing. She looked back at Mandark who was behind her. "Goodnight. And..thank you."

"You, too." He answered flatly. She walked off down the long hall and found the guest room which was nothing but a glorified broom closet with a small bed and a thin blanket but no pillows. There were no windows and the door didn't lock but it was a private place to sleep. She didn't complain because she didn't spend a lot of time overnight in the laboratory and the bed was soft. She had a change of uniform on a shelf with an extra pair of underwear and white pajamas and changed into them.

She snuggled her nanos under the blanket and thought about the day. She was surprised how easy it was for her to spill her heart out to Mandark earlier without pause, but it felt good to get it off her chest. She was also surprised he healed her cheek with magic. It wasn't often he used magic, so it was special that he did. Somewhere deep in her heart she hoped Mandark's arrogance and inflated ego would give way and he would eventually feel the same way about her that she felt about him.

She quickly drifted off to peaceful sleep in the pitch-black room, not to be disturbed until morning.

Mandark, however was still awake in his bed, unable to sleep. Staring up at the canopy he started to think critically about the day. Sugar was right about Susan liking Mandark. What else was he right about? He started to ponder taking his brother's advice about maybe seeing other women. Still, Mandark was determined to try one last time to win Dee Dee's affections. Mandark decided he'd buy Dee Dee three dozen very fresh, very pink roses, show up at her door with his best smile and _hope_ to woo her with some of his poetry he wrote for her. He also thought about Susan.

Mandark decided that if Dee Dee turned him down again, he'd give up for a while. He believed that absence does make the heart grow fonder and Dee Dee would miss his affections, asking for him to be with her. Taking Susan's admittance of her feelings into consideration, Mandark decided it was also time to take the next step with her: make her useful for use in his magic. He wanted to perform even more powerful summons and spells he could not do alone. He needs someone with a soul, someone who could magnify his abilities ten-fold. Someone who trusts him enough with their life to willingly do it.


	2. Chapter 2: Strict Machine

Susan's uncle Lou, who happened to be the Toiletnator, was at home in Genius Grove panicking because he hasn't heard back from his little niece. He wasn't _really_ her uncle, though; Susan's mom Mary was adopted from China by Lou's parents, which technically makes Susan Numbah 4's cousin.

He sat on the couch in the sparse living room of his little house nervously rubbing his cell phone with his thumbs wondering if he should call her to see if she's okay. This isn't the first time she's not come home without calling but he still worried.

He'd occasionally look up at the TV if something the late night news anchorwoman mentioned caught his attention. He wasn't paying much attention to it because she was doing a segment on suicide again, which always made Lou a little depressed. The living room was mostly bare, just a flat screen TV mounted on the wall with a worn-down coffee table in front of a somewhat beat up brown couch that was very comfortable. A ceiling fan was the only source of unnatural light and was often off. The windows were boarded up with wooden planks to keep the alien monsters out but the house was very clean.

He looked at the time on the TV, it was a little after three AM. He called Susan's cellphone and crossed his legs, nervously shaking his foot. It rang a few times before the groggy Susan found it and put it to her ear. Upside down.

"Hello?"

"Hello?"

"Hello?" She realized the phone was upside down and fixed it.

"Susie!" Lou said, "are you okay? Where are you?"

"I'm in the lab. I was sleeping. Sorry I didn't call." She rubbed her tired eye with her free fist.

"I'm s-sorry, Susie. I didn't mean to wake you I was just nervous!" Lou stammered.

"It's okay," she smiled, "I love you, too."

Lou chuckled a bit, "I'm glad you're okay but...maybe you should come home anyway?"

"I'm exhausted..."

"Oh, well, I'm sorry. I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"Of course. I'm doing the food drive thing. Uncle Lou, do you want to move out of your house?"

"You ask me this every day and my answer will always be 'no'." He frowned. The house meant too much to him.

"Well, someplace safer."

"It is safe here."

Susan yawned, "If you say so. Can I go back to bed?"

"Yes, sweetie." He said softly. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Susan hung up and flopped back to sleep.

Lou hung up the phone and felt comforted knowing she was okay. He felt this lonely feeling in his heart. He hated it when she suggested they move some place else. It's not like neither of them could afford a new place to live...it was just an uneasy thing. His late wife Cherise who passed away from breast cancer fifteen years before lived in this house with him. It was the first home they bought together and made it their little slice of heaven for the brief time they spent married.

He just couldn't leave it. Someone had to protect his, and Cherise's, home from the invading aliens.

Meanwhile, Mandark was laying in his bed staring up at his canopy. What was he going to do? What if his last-ditch effort to win over Dee Dee failed? He wiped the tears out of his eyes with his silk robe's sleeve. A lifetime of pain and heart ache welled up inside his chest and made it feel like it was going to burst at any second. 'What if I fail?' he kept repeating in his head. 'What if I fail again? What if I give up? What if I don't get what I want? What if I never end up happy? What if Susan quits?' Susan.

Susan, Susan, Susan. Why was he thinking of her at a time like this?

'Dee Dee'. He tried to think of Dee Dee. He tried to replace Susan with thinking of other women he knew...his mother, Lalavava, even his tarantula. Why was his assistant suddenly at the top of the pile in his mind? Was it because of her heartfelt confession of love? 'Nah, too cheesy', he thought.

Perhaps it gave him hope. Just in case Dee Dee really did snub him again, he'd always have at least _one_ person interested in him romantically. His _assistant_. There would be so much flak from the media, which is starved for new news that doesn't revolve around the war. He didn't want that kind of publicity yet he didn't want to be alone anymore.

'I'm single and I'm suffering', he thought. 'S. S.' Everything was reminding him of her.

'Susan Silverbullet.' He shook his head and sighed. "I hate insomnia." He said out loud to his tarantula.

He rolled over and hugged his pillow. 'She's here,' he thought. 'I could just...bother her.' He got out of bed, grabbed his glasses and walked to where her room was. He stood outside of the door, fleeting courage gone. He stood there for a moment before knocking.

"Jerry?" he called softly. She didn't respond so he knocked again a little louder this time.

She heard him that time and got up. She opened the door and looked up at him with a _very_ annoyed look on her face.

"What is it?" she asked softly.

"Sorry, never mind." He turned to leave, realizing his mistake and immediately regretting it..

"No, what is it?" She said, her sleepy nanos floated to her and held onto her shoulders.

"I...couldn't sleep." He said squinting, he still wasn't used to the bright lights in the lobby yet and neither was Susan, who was squinting as well.

"Apparently neither can I. What do you want to do? Work, I guess?"

"No, I wanted to talk."

"About?" she leaned against the door frame, slowly waking up.

"Us." he said calmly. Almost coldly.

"'Us'?" Her heart almost skipped a beat. "What about us?"

"Come," He motioned for her to follow him. She sluggishly followed behind him, realizing he was going towards his bedroom. The floor, like the air, was cold because of the air conditioning.

"What is it?" She asked. Her nanos floated into her arms and she held them close as they started to drift back to sleep. "Are you firing me?"

"No, I'm not firing you. Just sit on the bed or wherever you want. Get comfortable." He shut his door. He sounded frustrated and exhausted.

She nervously sat on the edge of the bed that didn't have the blankets disheveled. She correctly figured out that the unmade side was the side he slept on. He sat on his side of the bed with his back to her and his hands on his knees. After a moment, Mandark broke the silence.

"I'm...I couldn't sleep."

"I know."

"I brought you here because I have too much on my mind."

"Okay? Do you want me to make you some tea?"

"No, thank you. I just...wanted to talk about...us." He found it was easier to speak with his back to her.

"Are you upset?"

"Yes, but not over you. Over Dee Dee."

"Oh..."

"She's...slipping away. I love her so much, Jerry. I've loved her from the first moment I saw her back in grade school. Dexter knew this and had her destroy my lab by being her beautiful self. That broke my heart in so many ways."

Susan listened to him intently, being quiet and still.

"I feel hopeless. It bothers me that I can't get this _one thing_. I'm going to be alone forever."

"No, you're not," Susan said, "you will always have Sugar and then there's me."

"I mean, alone romantically."

"Oh. Well, that's not true either."

"How so?"

"Again: you have bazillions of fans online, right? Date some of them."

"You're not fighting for me this time, either?"

"Do you want me to?" She was confused because he kept sending mixed messages.

"I just figured if you really did care for me as much as you claim you'd at least put up a fight..."

"And I figured that if you're not interested in me it's not worth it for the fight." she yawned quietly.

He didn't respond to what she said. It wasn't exactly true that he didn't have any interest in her, it just wasn't romantically.

"The dating fans thing might be worth it, but I don't know if I'm ready for that."

"Then don't." She laid on the bed on her side facing him. He turned back to look at her. She had her eyes closed but was clearly awake. Her Demongo nano laid up against her breast and her Dexter nano laid his head in her hand. Her Mandark nano sat up looking at the larger version of himself sadly.

"What will make you happy?" Susan quietly asked.

"To earn Dee Dee's love and to defeat Dexter in everything."

"Simplify it."

"Simplify?"

"Simplify what you want...don't be so specific."

"You want me to simplify what I want? Why?"

"It'll make it easier for you to understand what you _really _want."

"I want to be loved and be the best at everything, then." he sounded frustrated. "You're not a psychiatrist."

"I know I'm not a shrink. So you want to be loved and to be successful. You _are_ loved and successful."

"I'm not loved! That's why I'm single."

"Mandark..."

"What?"

"_I _love you." She blurted out.

He blushed a bit, "I can't date you. I don't want to date you."

"Why not?"

"You're my employee."

"So?"

"Red tape."

"Screw the red tape! You wrote my contract!"

"_Susan._" he said firmly, "No."

It was serious when he said her actual first name.

"I'm sorry," She apologized sheepishly.

He sighed, "I can't date you. I don't want to date you. You're perfect as my assistant and I want it to stay that way."

"Yes, sir." She opened her eyes.

Mandark laid on his side facing Susan, holding the pillow like it was a person. The cold pillow felt good to his neck which was hurting a bit from leaning forward for a while.

"You know...you have asked twice why I won't fight for your affection...but you get upset when I do." Susan said bluntly.

"It's...a sensitive subject." He chose his words carefully.

"I don't get it."

"You want the truth?"

Susan nodded. "Yes, I want the truth."

"Well, it's difficult." He sighed, "I can tell what you're saying you feel about me is genuine. That's the difficult part. You've been a big help these past three or so years you've worked for me."

"Really?"

"Yes, that's why you're still employed. Granted, we got off to a rough start."

"You used to make me cry."

"You got tough."

"Yep."

"Well, before I get sidetracked; you've been a big help and it would really hurt to have you leave. That's why I want everything to stay professional and platonic."

"Uh huh."

"What?"

"I just think it's weird you invited me in your room to tell me that."

"Is it?"

"I don't think you understand quite how intimate this moment is...even if it's _platonic._"

"How is this intimate?"

"We're on your bed. In your room. In the middle of the night."

"Without context it seems intimate. In the context that I have insomnia, you happened to be here and I needed to talk to you anyway and decided to do it some place private and warm it's not that intimate of a moment."

Susan's Mandark nano crawled forward to his larger version and kissed his forehead sweetly.

Mandark wasn't sure how to react, knowing it was Susan who sent her nano to do it and that it was extremely taboo to touch another person's nano without their consent. He felt himself blush a little when the nano hugged his face.

"Um," Mandark started to say, "C-can I touch your nano?"

"Sure," Susan giggled.

Mandark gently pried the little nano off his face and set it down on the bed. When someone touched someone else's nano it was the equivalent of touching their soul, so it was fairly special if someone gave you permission to touch them. It didn't feel weird for the person who owned the nano, or the "user", to have their nano touched.

"It's...nice knowing that a young woman loves me," he cleared his throat, "but not...you. It's complicated as you know."

She furrowed her eyebrows at him, slowly realizing what he was trying to say. "So, do you have feelings for me that aren't platonic?" She foolishly sounded hopeful.

"No," he said shortly, "I don't feel anything romantically for you. I would just prefer if you didn't tease me." He sort of lied through his teeth.

"Jerry..." he shut his eyes.

"Yes?"

"I'm pretty sure I can trust you..."

"Of course you can."

Mandark pulled the nano of himself close to his chest with his hand, sort of hugging it.

"Before I tell you something, I'd like to insure myself with some collateral."

"I don't understand..."

"I mean...I want to know something about you. Some kind of secret no one else knows. That way I know something about you and you know something about me. Just in case."

"So you don't really trust me...but okay. Um..." She tried to think. What _were_ her dark secrets?

"I don't think I have any dark secrets." She said. "If I did I probably forgot."

"You must have _something_." Mandark said, slightly annoyed.

"Hm.." Susan thought hard- then blushed. "Only if you promise not to tell anyone."

"Uh, likewise." He promised.

"My favorite color is actually blue."

"That's...that's not a dark secret..._but blue?_ _Really?_"

"I'm sorry, I'm just nervous!"

"Well, something else." He urged her. He was growing impatient.

"Okay...okay. Do you mean, something sexual in nature?"

"I guess." He blushed a little. He secretly hoped her fantasies were like his, so that he may actually have a chance of living them out.

"I kind of like it when _you_ restrain me, but I still hate it when others restrain me, like at the hospital."

"Like...bondage?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Sort of...it's mostly because it's _you_..." She bit her lip.

"When have I ever restrained you like that?" It wasn't really his style. Or was it and he just didn't notice?

She inhaled deeply and then started listing things off. "Remember when my appendix had to come out? You strapped me down to the gurney when you removed it and I was awake for the surgery, it was kind of cool because you used that layering machine that used flat wormholes or something to remove whole layers of my skin, muscles, etc until you got to what you wanted and there were no stitches or anything?"

The machine she was talking about was a large white machine with a bar above the table and different sections that slid back and forth labeled with the specific layer it removed. Much like an abacus, sliding the sections from right to left removed the layer, left to right put it back like nothing happened. It's quite revolutionary and bloodless, but didn't use wormholes. It was an alchemy-infused table that the government disallowed to be used in mainstream medicine because of the supposed instability of the magical parts of the machine.

"The slider table?"

"Yes, that thing, it was kind of cool watching the surgery on the screen above me. Anyway, you had me strapped down by the neck, wrists and ankles. Oddly, it was relaxing."

"You were _heavily_ sedated..."

"I know, but still! A-and then there was the time you were yelling at me and grabbed my wrists with your hand so I'd listen to your rant. I think you were angry with how I was handling Ducky."

"She's an old girl, you _have_ to be delicate with her."

"I was! She got scared when I picked her up for the first time and she bit me so I lost my grip, but she's okay."

"She's ten years old..."

"I know, I'm sorry," She felt guilty about dropping Ducky. "Then when you had to implant the birth control rod into my arm. I was strapped down again..."

"For someone with a spotty memory, you sure do have specific examples." He was slightly suspicious of that, as he remembered those events.

"I- I'm sorry, I don't understand my memory either."

Susan was an ex-KND operative, specifically her number was 107.8. When she was nine, it was revealed that her uncle was the Toiletnator. Even though she wasn't related to him by blood she was forcibly decommissioned. Her cousin Wallabee, or better known as Numbuh 4, is also related to Toiletnator but _directly by blood._ Wallabee's father was the Toiletnator's brother. Because Numbuh 4 was older and a superior operative, it was shrugged off and he continued to flourish as a Sector V operative. When decommissioned, the KND's vastly inferior technology damaged Susan's (and many others') brains, giving them unpredictable bouts of short-term amnesia.

"Well, now it's your turn." She sounded annoyed.

"Oh, right." He blushed. "How do I word this..." He lightly rubbed the nano's cheek with the side of his index finger.

"I am a virgin," he seemed to have trouble saying, "and at my age..."

"So?" She interrupted.

"I didn't finish."

"I'm sorry, go ahead."

He cleared his throat. "_And at my age..._that's a little pathetic."

She chuckled, "'pathetic'? Mandark, _no one cares_."

He narrowed his eyes at her, clearly upset.

"I mean...no one cares. It's not a big deal who you are or aren't doing."

"It's a big deal to me."

"Fair enough, but why?"

"'Why'? What a question."

"Ugh..."

"Dexter has been doing his girlfriend for what, _two years_ now?"

"And?"

"I'm twenty-two!"

"So?"

"_He's eighteen!"_ He raised his voice a bit. Susan's Dexter nano opened it's little blue eyes and looked at Mandark with an annoyed expression.

"So...your secret is...you're antsy to have sex?"

"I'd much prefer to be with the woman I'm in love with first...but essentially, yes. I'm 'antsy.'"

"You know...I'm surprised."

"At?"

"The fact you haven't been sexually intimate with someone. You're so..."

"'So' what?"

"Desirable? I think that's the word I'm looking for."

"I only have eyes for Dee Dee. I saved myself for her. It's...just that I feel...inexperienced."

"Jealous?"

"That, too."

"Okay...well you'll find someone special. It...won't be me and it _might not_ be Dee Dee...but I know you'll eventually find someone and you'll be at peace." She smiled warmly at him.

"I want 'eventually' to be 'ten years ago'." He pouted.

"I wish I could just _give_ you what you wanted." She said sadly.

"I'm going to try and get her attention for the last time tomorrow..."

"I hope you succeed."

"So do I..." he started nodding off.

He felt this odd sense of comfort and relief having revealed his secret to someone other than his brother. It at least helped him feel better knowing he could trust his assistant with his most personal secrets.

"...hey," she said, "I'm a virgin, too." She blushed, "I've never even been kissed."

"You're a girl, it's cute when _you're _a virgin. But...really?"

She nodded, "yeah."

"But you're so flirty."

"_So_?"

"I just guessed you've had a boyfriend or two..."

"Well, I'm flattered." She smiled, her Dexter nano nuzzled her cheek cutely. The Mandark nano looked up at his larger self. Mandark sort of nuzzled the nano by rubbing his cheek against the top of its head, but only because it was so cute.

"I guess I should go back to my bed now." Susan sat up, motioning for the Mandark nano to come to her.

"No, you can stay here...your room is very inadequate. It was cold in there. Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"I try to make your life easier by not complaining."

"That is why you're still employed."

Susan smiled back at him, "I think I'll leave you alone and go back to my hole in the wall."

He wasn't generous often and Susan knew that, but it would be awkward if she stayed in there. She didn't want to push her luck, either.

"Wait, I didn't tell you the whole truth..."

"What?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm...not really a virgin."

"Oh?" She sounded disappointed. "Who was it?"

"It's not a 'who' it's a _'what'_..." he cleared his throat, "I made a robot modeled after a real human female. It can adjust the way it looks and feels any time I want it to and it's kind of heavy... but I've used it a few...dozen times." He got up and pulled a plain cardboard box out from under his bed. "It's in here."

Susan climbed over to the other side of the bed and peered over the edge. Mandark took the lid off and inside was a robot slightly taller than Mandark with its arms crossed over its chest like a dead person. It had a fuzzy silicone skin that was transparent and showed off all of the circuitry inside. It was really rather beautiful.

"Does she have a name?" Susan asked.

"No, _it_ doesn't have a name. It has a number, but the serial number is sixteen digits long. I just call it 'the robot'." Mandark blushed a bit.

"Why are you showing this to me?" Susan asked, moving to the floor and kneeling next to Mandark.

"Because, only Sugar knows about this robot existing. I didn't register it in the government database ...I didn't patent anything either. I was too embarrassed. I'm _really_ proud of it, though. It doesn't act very human...it just does what I tell it to, it's not very realistic."

"I'm sure a robot like this would be worth a lot to someone in the pornography business...I mean, people pay thousands for those stiff dolls with the blank faces. This could be _very_ lucrative." She tried to encourage him.

"I know but...I made this for _me_." He looked at the robot. "It's not the first of its kind but I've wanted to show it off so badly. Everything is just _magnificent_ and genius! The gyrations, the movement is _very_ human, the holographic skin that can change how it looks...It even has a balancing mechanism in its 'ears' like we have."

He gushed about his robot to her, not fully realizing how embarrassing the situation was.

"It _is_ impressive...but you don't consider yourself a virgin because you've had sex with a robot?"

"I am but I'm not, I don't know..." Mandark shook his head, "I don't want to be, so I think I'm just looking for excuses to make myself feel better..."

"You are whatever you want to be..." She frowned, "virginity is just a concept. It's up to _you_ to define it. I mean, every culture has it's own definition of it, right? I guess you should have your own personal definition."

He thought about what she said for a moment. He never looked at it anthropologically. "I feel a little bit better, then." He covered the robot and shoved the box back under his bed. "I don't really like the robot. I trust you won't tell anyone..."

"Of course not." She looked over at the clock on the wall. "It's four-sixteen AM...I have the food drive in the morning."

Mandark went to his dresser and pulled out a clean outfit for the next day: a black turtle neck, black slacks, red boxers and white socks. "I'm going to take a shower and get ready for the day, you can sleep in here. Just don't go poking around."

"Thank you..." Susan managed to squeeze in before Mandark disappeared into his bathroom, making sure he locked the door. Susan climbed into the bed and under the covers, her nanos in her arms. 'I'm in his bed! This is so cool!' she thought to herself.

"It's so cushy and warm," The Mandark nano said, setting his little glasses aside, "I have good taste."

Susan chuckled, "okay, lets try and get as much sleep as possible."


	3. Chapter 3: Here Comes the Sun

Mandark did enjoy a good shower. For him, a hot shower was relaxing but energizing. He pressed his hand to the tile next to the bath tub which released the shower head from the wall while simultaneously bringing up a semi-transparent box of light around the tub. This was a force-field served as his shower curtain that allowed anything but water to move in and out so its user wasn't trapped. He yawned as he put his glasses and unfolded clothes on the towel shelf, turned on the water and stripped out of his clothes. He turned back to make sure he did indeed lock the door then got into the tub. The water was always instantly the perfect temperature for him: hot, but not _too_ hot.

'It would be so easy to take advantage of her,' he thought to himself about Susan as he shampooed his hair. 'She is right there on the bed...in love with me...it'd be so easy.' He was tempted...so very tempted. He could go back in there wet and naked and seduce her...he imagined it'd be easy. 'But I'm not depraved', he reminded himself, 'I shouldn't think about these things.'

He grabbed his loofah and rubbed his patchouli scented soap on it and washed his body. The only fashionable things he took from living with his parents were lava lamps and his liking for patchouli as a body wash fragrance. It was mild and nice without being girly or overpowering and the scent didn't linger long. For whatever reason, he chose this over fragrance-free soaps which would treat his skin the same way.

He always skipped the conditioner because his hair was rather oily and his body saw to it that his hair would be more than a little oily within an hour after showering. It would just make his hair flat and clumpy if he conditioned it. Because of this, his showers were always pretty short. He turned off the shower head, the force-field and switched the shower head to the faucet then plugged the drain and letting the tub fill. His second bath tonight.

'I need a lifestyle change,' he thought as he looked at his pruny fingers. He thought about all of the work on the corrupted nanos he has to do, the work in general for commissioners and dealing with his anger and loneliness. He imagined how tomorrow would ideally go: Dee Dee would realize her love for Mandark, sweep him into her warm embrace and they'd live happily ever after after sharing a sweet but chaste kiss. It's nice to dream.

He planned out his gifts for her as well: another small book of poetry and songs he has written for her, a bouquet of the finest and freshest pink roses and a simplistic golden engagement ring. He would offer the ring as the last gift if the day goes well, however. Even he knew that suddenly throwing a marriage proposal at a woman was risky. He felt that he would probably not be able to find just the right moment to propose for a long while even if they started dating.

And then a darker thought hit him: what if she refused him again? He had already decided that it would be the last time he offers himself to her romantically for a long time if she refuses him. Ten years of 'no' wore his spirit down quite a bit. Still, he had a glimmer of hope in his heart that the one he loved so dearly would love him back someday.

Then again, Susan could always be a 'plan b' if the sexual tension escalated to a high-enough point that the only thing they could do _was_ climax. Together. ...Ew.

He felt himself blush at the thought. That _mini skirt. _If only she was more like Dee Dee in looks and dancing talent, Susan would be a decent substitute.

'Eh', he thought, 'She'll probably expect a monetary raise.' He shook his head. Dee Dee first, desperation later.

Mandark mulled over the idea of going to Dee Dee's house around lunch time and offer to take her someplace nice to eat. He thought about impressing her with a high-end and expensive lunch at a Japanese restaurant, flexing his linguistic skills by ordering for them solely in Japanese.

Or perhaps an Italian restaurant. The warm and romantic atmosphere would be perfect for wooing Dee Dee. A delicious, carbohydrate-rich dinner over candlelight...maybe a small glass of red wine to warm up the soul.

Mandark drained the tub and redressed after drying off. He quietly opened the door a little to see if Susan was still there. She was facing away from the door but sleeping quietly. He rolled his eyes and closed the bathroom door. He picked up his laptop off of the nightstand and opened it up as he got into bed. He was still tired but not tired enough to actually fall asleep. He also didn't want to sleep next to her because he felt it would be awkward.

He checked up on his international sales first. Most of his profits selling robots, various chemicals and war machines came from the United States. So far, the sale of his robots and general robotic products was doing best in Germany, but he wasn't quite sure why that was. His chemical sales were doing best in China which was, strangely to him, tied with the Netherlands. A large country and a tiny country, tied for overall global sales. Mandark shrugged, he wouldn't snub such great numbers.

Out of the corner of his eye Mandark saw movement. He looked over thinking it was Susan stirring in her sleep when really it was a little lump crawling under the blanket. He furrowed his eyebrows and peeked under the blanket to see it was Susan's Mandark nano crawling around in his sleep dragging his little face across the sheets. The nano kept going until he fell off the foot of bed with a soft thud.

Mandark sat up and waited to see what the nano would do. A moment later he watched the nano's tiny hands grasp the edge of the bed, desperately gripping the blanket and trying to pull itself up.

"You do know you can float, right?" Mandark said quietly. The nano made it onto the bed with a small grunt before Mandark finished his sentence. He looked over at the larger version of himself and floated up to him. The nano gently plopped down and leaned its head against Mandark's side.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I am checking my international sales." Mandark said, trying not to touch the sleepy nano. "Are you asleep?"

"No, but my Susan is."

Mandark had never witnessed a nano being awake when its user was asleep. He looked over at Susan and saw her eyeballs moving back and forth under her eyelids. She was clearly in a deep sleep cycle known as REM.

"How are you awake?" Mandark asked.

"I was asleep until I fell off of the bed and woke up." The nano said matter-of-factly.

Mandark rubbed his eye with his fist before asking if being awake affected Susan's dreaming or sleep cycle.

The nano shook it's head. "I don't know. I don't think so. The sound of us talking might wake her up."

"So, I'm pretty much talking to her soul." Mandark shut his laptop.

"Yes." The nano nodded.

"So, is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"Is it true that she loves me?"

"Yes."

"Platonic?"

"No, she wants you romantically."

"Sexually?"

"What kind of question is that?" The nano raised his eyebrow.

Mandark turned away from the nano, embarrassed and offended. The nano poked Mandark's side with his sharp, pointy nose much like a woodpecker pecking at a tree.

"Hey!" Mandark yelped.

"Answer the question." Another poke.

"I asked you first." Mandark rubbed his side.

"Why are you interested?" Another poke, this time to the back of Mandark's middle finger. Mandark picked up the nano and held him an arm's length away with his right hand and wagged his left index finger scoldingly.

"Stop the poking." Mandark said sternly.

"Fine." The nano crossed his little arms.

"Why are you so defensive?"

"She doesn't want to be seen as a slut or something."

"Oh," Mandark said. "So does that mean yes?"

"Yes, she wants to have sex with you." The nano sighed.

Mandark smiled smugly, "I knew it." Mandark heard a quiet sound come from Susan. She rolled over and stirred a bit. Still sleeping but her eyes weren't moving.

"You should go back to sleep," Mandark whispered to the nano after gently placing him next to Susan. The nano crawled over to Susan's arm and snuggled his head against her breast.

"These are mine," the nano said. Mandark was unamused. After a moment the nano went back to sleep and Mandark opened his laptop again. He was going to change Susan's uniform.

He decided on a white blouse, a red bow made of silk in place of a tie, a red miniskirt with many pleats and white socks that went all the way up to where her panties met her thighs. They would look like regular stockings under her skirt. Over that to keep warm and maintain a professional look was a black blazer with the classic red "M" over the breast pocket.

He looked over the design on his computer before finalizing. It looked like a high school uniform. It wasn't exactly his fetish, but it would still provide enough eye-candy for him to keep him interested. He submitted the redesign to his main computer wirelessly and it sent out the order to the Mandroids nearby to fabricate this outfit. Within an hour the new uniform was finished, boxed and brought to him by a Mandroid.

When the Mandroid entered the room it made a sufficient amount of noise whirring around to rouse Susan from her sleep. She sat up and rubbed her tired eyes and tasted the foul morning breath on her tongue.

"Hm?" She asked. "What's going on?" She made sure not to be too close to Mandark when she talked so he couldn't smell her dragon breath.

"I have a surprise for you," Mandark said as he took the box from the Mandroid. "Here." He handed it to Susan. Her eyes lit up when she opened it to find a brand-new uniform inside.

"Oh, wow," She said. "I've been meaning to ask you for a new set because the old one was getting ratty...thanks." She smiled at him.

"Go change into it, I want to make sure it fits." Mandark stretched. The sound of his back cracking made Susan shudder. She nodded and took the box into his bathroom and left her nanos on the bed. She quickly changed into it, and looked at herself in the mirror. She liked the blazer a lot, but wasn't sure about the bow. She went over to the sink and swished a handful of cold water in her mouth until the bad taste was gone, then swallowed the water as she was thirsty. She walked back into the bedroom and stood straight with her arms at her sides.

"Well?" She asked nervously.

"It fits. I'll have the Mandroids make duplicates. What do you want for breakfast? Make it quick, you have to leave in less than an hour."

"What can I get?" She went over to the bed and sat on the edge moving her nanos into her lap.

"Anything."

"I'll take some pancakes with syrup...please. Thank you. I haven't had breakfast here before." She laid back on the bed.

Mandark typed in what she wanted and then what he wanted. A Mandroid came up less than a minute later with piping-hot food and some coffee for the two of them on trays.

The Mandroid set the secure trays down in their laps so they could eat in bed without making a mess or spilling. Mandark had evidently ordered pancakes as well but with sausage links on the side.

"It's really kind of you for taking care of me like this. It's almost unlike you to do so." Susan said sheepishly as she delicately cut the pancakes.

"Consider it getting back at Lalavava for hitting you." Mandark said as he roughly cut into his pancakes with his fork. "I discovered something last night."

"What?"

"When the user is asleep, the nanos can still be awake and talk."

"Oh?" Susan took a bite of the warm, fluffy pancake. It was so delicious. Hard to believe it was spat out by a computer and not made by a skilled chef.

"Yes, your little nano of me fell off the bed and woke itself up. Then it started to pester me as I was checking up on my company's profits. I'm doing _amazingly, _by the way."

Susan gave each of her nanos a piece of pancake without syrup to nibble on. She smiled at Mandark. "Glad you're turning profits. What did he say?"

"Nothing of paramount importance. However, it did confirm everything you said earlier. I'm aware souls cannot fabricate. It's the purest form of _you, _concentrated and responsive."

"Eh?"

"They can't lie. It's just not how it works."

"Oh..." Susan blushed. "You thought I was lying?"

"No, I just wanted to confirm. The little brat poked me with his nose for asking, though. Is my nose _really_ that pointy?"

"Mandark, don't poke yourself." Susan scolded her nano who just shrugged as he nibbled. "I'm sorry," she said to Mandark, "Your nose is fine."

"You look different without makeup." Mandark made his observation vocal. Now Susan was all self-conscious.

"'Different' in a bad way?"

"Eh, mostly the same. Just a few bits of acne are visible on your chin now."

Way to make her feel ugly. Susan covered her chin with her hand, "I break out easily. I wish I had skin as pretty as yours. Smooth, even and clear."

Mandark smiled proudly, "Well, I _am_ able to treat my own skin being a scientist with _many_ degrees and all." She turned away from him and finished off her pancakes. "What's wrong _now_?"

She didn't want to sound ungrateful for him letting her sleep in his bed and then provided her with good food for breakfast. She didn't want to let him know he hurt her feelings.

"I thought I had to sneeze," She quickly thought up, "I didn't want to sneeze on you or your food." She picked up the coffee and slowly sipped it. The warmth pooled in her stomach and made her shudder.

"When you get back from this stupid food drive thing you're doing I can treat your acne if it bothers you that much. A little ice and maybe some cortisol will clear them up. You should wash your face with cleansers that have salicylic acid in them."

"I just wash my face with some cold water." She finished off her coffee.

"Does the acne hurt?" He ate the last bit of his pancakes.

Susan nodded as she wiped her nanos' mouths clean with a napkin. "Demongo, you always make a mess." She scolded. Demongo shook his head.

"Hey! I will eat however I please!" It said defiantly. Watching her interact with her nanos was intriguing to Mandark. Her obvious maternal instincts were showing, but the curious part was even though the nanos were an extension of herself they still had whole conversations and acted like separate people. She was talking to herself and yet not. Each nano had a fraction of a facet of her own personality. Mandark grew a little jealous, remembering that there is a nano of Dee Dee available to be made. Mandark having abundant mana instead of a soul made it so he couldn't support nanos and they'd essentially die within hours of being made.

Having a tiny Dee Dee to play with and pamper would really make him happy if he couldn't have the real one.

Susan sat up and moved the tray so she could get off of the bed.

"Are you finished?" She asked. Mandark nodded behind his coffee cup as he sipped. She took the trays to a nearby Mandroid and ordered it to have them cleaned. She quickly went back to his room and peeked in.

"Thank you," she bowed slightly. "Dee Dee is a lucky girl."

Mandark looked up at Susan and raised an eyebrow. "Don't get used to the special treatment."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." She smiled. "I'll get back as soon as I can!"


End file.
